With All Due Respect, Luna
by Victory Dance
Summary: Princess Luna goes to Ponyville hoping to find acceptance, but finds hatred, contempt, and... love in the hooves of a mysterious stranger?
1. Chapter 1

In the magical kingdom of Equestria, in the royal capital city of Canterlot, in the innermost room of the West tower in the royal castle, a tall wisteria-colored mare paced back and forth.

Princess Luna, Bringer of the Night and co-ruler of Equestria, aimlessly trotted from one end of her extravagant bedchamber to the other. She couldn't really help it, it was something she did automatically – a nervous habit – when she was indecisive. And indecisive she was, for the night-loving Alicorn was trying to figure out if it would be a bad idea to go outside.

It had been a thousand and one years since she and her older sister, Celestia, had ruled Ancient Equestria together before her 'outburst'. It had been a thousand and one years since Celestia had begged her to see reason. It had been a thousand years since her sister had given up hope and banished her to the moon. It had been a year since she had escaped, and terrorized the nation as Nightmare Moon before being defeated and, marvelously, Celestia had forgiven her. And it had been seven months since she had left the safety of the castle.

Luna paused and looked out the window. From her high spot she could see far below the mountainside city, and in the distance she could just barely make out the bright, colorful town of Ponyville. Seven months ago she had gone there to reconcile with the townsponies, and had met with limited success due to her going on the town's most frightening holiday. Although the children seemed to enjoy being frightened, it was not an image she wanted to have. Her older sister was revered, loved, and respected. She hoped to at least be acknowledged.

Luna made her decision and opened her door. On either side of it in the hallway were two Lunar Guards. Their fur was indigo; their wings were painted to resemble those of bats. Her guards respected her, but didn't seem to look up to her at all. She decided to change that.

She cleared her throat. "Aghem, excuse me, Smog and Eclipse. I trust you are… having a nice morning?" She abstained from using her royal Voice as she normally would have done. The two dark stallions simply gave her blank looks, which weren't _bad_, exactly. Feeling a little more confident, she ventured, "If there's anything you need… um, feel free to talk to me. That's what I'm here for… anyway." She put on her biggest smile and began trotting down the hallway, unaware of the utterly confused faces of her guards.

On the way towards the center of the palace, she met some Solar Guards. Their white-furred heads were held high, and their golden armor gleamed. Luna nodded to them and said hello, but they went on as if they did not hear her. It was something she was used to; she never told her sister for fear of further rejection. Cold shoulders were better than out-and-out hostility any day. Still feeling a little offput, she continued to the front of the castle, the gargantuan staircase that overlooked the city.

Her sister was there, chatting away with a Guard. Luna trotted over to the two of them. The guard, who was giving Celestia some kind of report, saw her and put his ears back. When she pulled up alongside the older mare he simply nodded a good-bye and left. Deciding against pointing out the rude stallion to Celestia, Luna said instead "Good morning, my sister. Lovely day, hmm?"

"Indeed it is, Luna," Celestia replied. The pair was silent for a moment as Luna thought.

Finally she spoke again. "Celestia? Sister, how long has it been since your student last visited?"

"Twilight Sparkle?" Celestia thought a moment. "Not since her brother's wedding, about three months. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Luna said. "I was considering paying her and her village a visit."

"They are called towns now, Luna. And that sounds wonderful! Perhaps I will join you."

"No!" Luna's outburst startled Celestia, but she wanted to make a good impression on her own. "You stay. They, uh… need you here." Ignoring her sister's rebuttal, Luna turned and went back inside to get ready for her second visit to Ponyville.

She wished to not flaunt her power or her prowess over the night as before. She tied a simple gray jacket around her neck, making sure to adjust for her rather broad wingspan, and summoned Smog and another Lunar Guard to fly her to her destination. She considered flying there herself, but while she wished not to appear haughty, there _were_ some nice perks to being royalty. And this was a jacket she didn't like to fly in anyway.

Nevertheless, she insisted on landing in the outskirts of the town. Calmly and nonchalantly, she began wandering the streets of Ponyville, the two Guards flanking her as was custom for safety purposes. It _was _a truly nice day, and the streets were filled with small-town ponies going about their business. Luna enjoyed seeing the town on a normal day, but she was bothered. All the polite nods, all the cheery hellos, all the warm smiles she gave to the ponies she passed were blatantly ignored, or worse, met with a cold stare Luna could only describe as contempt. The children who remembered her from Nightmare Night looked in awe, and some even waved or smiled, but their parents were quick to scold them and pull them to the other side of the street. A path opened up as ponies from all sides made every attempt to avoid her. Luna was shocked at such a display in a town her sister had painted as the sweetest place this side of the San Palomino desert, and was not quick to even believe it was happening.

She stepped out of the middle of the street and over to a stand where a gruff-looking pony was selling various fruits. She was content to stand at the back of the line, but said line scattered the minute she approached.

"Hello, sir. I would like a-" the princess began, but was interrupted by the stand's owner throwing his wares into a cooler.

"Closed for lunch," he muttered before shoving out the back and trotting off.

Luna had half a mind to send her guards after that rude stallion, or perhaps going after him herself. She then remembered her wish to be liked, and decided murdering a pony for refusing her fruit would not help. When she turned to go somewhere else, a ten-foot circle spanned around her as if she were in a force field. Beginning to feel embarrassed and ashamed, she turned to her Guards and told them to wait for her at the carriage. They protested, but she thought maybe if she went alone, she would be less feared.

It didn't help. Townsponies were less likely to notice her, but when they did, the crowd parted just as before. Luna was beginning to feel angry—not to mention _hungry_. The thought of a piece of fruit a minute earlier had reminded her that she had not had lunch yet. The ride to Ponyville had been a long one, and with the remaining events transpiring it was nearly three in the afternoon.

She looked around. The princess was in luck—there was a bakery café across the street called Sugar Cube Corner. She stepped across the road (all traffic instantly stopped) and inside the cute little building.

The interior of the shop was similar to the exterior in that it was cute and sugary-looking. Several ponies were in a line at the counter, and several others were at various tables, being waited on by a blue and yellow couple. She went in and sat down at one of the smaller tables—and the entire shop fell silent.

For a moment the store's patrons stared at the violet mare. The moment passed, and suddenly the store was aflutter. Customers rushed out, muttering to themselves and shooting Luna frightened or angry looks. The line disappeared and the tables emptied. One haggard old unicorn grabbed the filly in the high chair next to her and left without paying. Others scooted themselves to the wall farthest from the princess to pay and rush out. In the midst of the flurry, the yellow mare with the pink mane approached her gingerly.

"… Um, hello dear. I couldn't help but notice… I mean, it came to my attention… er, you appear to be scaring off our customers, dear. I don't suppose you might… leave and choose another place to have lunch?" She tried to smile.

Luna became frustrated. "You would ask me to leave? Do you not know who I am? I am your princess, Luna!"

The mare's attempted smile became a steely gaze. She leaned down close to Luna's face and said quietly,

"With all due respect, Luna…

_Celestia_ is our princess."


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, it's been a while since the first chapter of this came out, and I have to say that I made a terrible mistake! At the end of the last chapter, the pony who confronts Luna is supposed to be Cup Cake, but oh God I put her colors wrong! I made her fur yellow, but it's supposed to be BLUE! I hope nobody thought that was Fluttershy... Well, without further ado, Chapter 2! With corrected Cup Cake!**

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Luna was, to say the least, shocked and outraged. This chubby commoner dared to challenge her position as royalty?! She outstretched her wings and stood ready to summon her Guards to imprison this awful mare. She would have her locked up for life, for THREE lifetimes! That mare would rue the day she –

No. Luna drooped her wings and looked tiredly at the frightened yet angry look on the blue mare's face, and sighed. "My apologies, Ma'am," she said, embarrassed, before leaving.

Trying her best to keep her head held high, Princess Luna stepped through the unchanged crowds. At first she intended fully on going back to Canterlot and never leaving the safety of her royal chambers ever again, but then she remembered her whole reason for coming to Ponyville in the first place: Twilight Sparkle. Surely she would be safe with Twilight, who was such a kind and caring little unicorn.

Towards the treehouse library she began to trot, doing her best to ignore the blatant hatred that loomed on all sides in the forms of the pony citizens. She made sure to keep her gaze straight ahead and he head held high. She was a princess, she was a ruler, she was _royalty_... she repeated this to herself during the entirety of the walk to keep her spirits up. By the time she reached Birch Blvd., she barely noticed the disparaging looks or the disapproving mutters. At one point she nearly bumped into one filly, whose face lost blood so quickly her pewter gray fur turned snow white.

She reached the library and knocked daintily on the door. No answer. She knocked a tad harder.

"Twilight Sparkle? It is your princess Luna! Twilight Sparkle, are you in there?" she said, before tentatively opening the door.

Luna looked around. No one was home! She took a few steps inside and saw a note pasted on the nearest desk which read in beautiful script:

_Hello Library Goers,_

_My assistant Spike and I will be out for a few hours _

_while attending a magic seminar. Please feel free _

_to check out a book at your leisure. If you need_

_help, my alternate assistant Owlouicious will_

_help you._

_Your ever-helpful friend,_

_Twilight Sparkle_

Luna sighed and wondered when the note had been written and how long she would have to wait, when suddenly a voice behind her said, "Who?"

She whirled around, but saw nopony there. Nopony by the shelves, nopony at the desk, nopony behind the stuffed owl –

"Whoooo?"

She almost laughed at her mistake, and greeted Owlouicious. "Hello, little friend. I don't suppose you know when your unicorn master will be back, hmm?"

Owlouicious gave an indignant _hoot_ and fluttered up to his high perch, where he turned his back to Luna and fell fast asleep.

Alone once more, Luna sighed and sat down to wait for her sister's protege. She waited... and waited... and waited. For three hours she waited, carefully shuffling through old books and some of Twilight's reports. Eventually boredom and hunger got the better of her and she left, abandoning all hope of a conversation with Twilight and too hungry to fly back to Canterlot for dinner.

It was almost 7:30, and she trotted in the opposite direction and onto Summertime Street. There was her favorite restaurant chain, Po Ni Garden. She loved Asian Cuisine, and boy was she starving. No way would she let this place turn her out!

She stepped inside and the waiting room fell quiet. Luna could hear one old mare muttering to her friend "_that one was kicked out of Sugar Cube. Sshh!_", but she simply sat down and waited for a table. After a few other groups were seated, the pretty waitress pony called out "Who's next, please?" Luna got up and the waitress shrank back.

"Oh, Night-er, Princess," she said, shakily correcting herself. "mm... we're full. Or rather, the only available table is that one. Back there." She pointed with a hoof past all the empty tables to a dirty, unwashed booth near the little fillies and colts' rooms. Luna looked at her skeptically. "Yep," the young mare insisted, "only one available. Rest have reservations or something." She smiled sheepishly. "You can go to another restaurant if you like..."

"No!" Luna said abruptly. "This is fine. Your princess thanks you for offering her a booth instead of just a table. She stepped past the waitress, pausing long enough to hear her mutter under her breath,

"Celestia is my princess, not you."

Willing herself not to get angry and shroud the restaurant in eternal darkness, Luna shuffled through the half-crowded place and seated herself on the dirty cushion, only to get up and sit on the other side due to something... _squishy_. Getting hungrier by the minute, she motioned for a waitress several times before munching on the wilted flower centerpiece in desperation.

She tried twice more to signal that she would like a menu and a drink, before finally one of the younger waitresses gave her a paper menu and a glass of water. While Luna thanked her, the filly promised to return to take her order in a moment before being hushed to the side by two others.

She sipped her water and perused the menu, thinking how good everything looked, before realizing that the front of the restaurant had again become much quieter. She craned her neck to see into the waiting room – and gasped.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing! Sorry for the cliffy - here comes Chapter Three!**

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She craned her neck to see into the waiting room – and gasped.

It was the strangest thing – he didn't seem all that interesting at first, but the more Luna looked, the more curious she was. The stranger that had just entered was tall – he was maybe an inch or two taller than herself. He was dressed from head to tail in a dark brown cloak that obscured his entire body, head, and face. His hooves were covered in leather studded boots, so it was impossible to see him at all really. He stooped and spoke to the little waitress who had snubbed her earlier, and it was obvious that she could see his face. He spoke, and the filly gulped, nodded, and led him through the room to find a table.

As they passed a couple of tables away, the mysterious stranger suddenly stopped and turned his head. Luna peered but, although it seemed he could see her, his face was still obscured beneath his hood. He said something unintelligible to the waitress, who scoffed.

"That table?" she said. "I _really_ don't think you want to sit there, hun..." She leaned forward as if Luna couldn't hear. "Nopony would want to..."

It was then that the stallion spoke to where she could hear. "Nonsense. There are many ponies waiting for tables. I will sit at this empty seat." He spoke slowly. His voice was deep, and clipped as if each syllable was separate, and he rolled his _r_'s as he spoke. He slowly made his way over to Luna's table, and seated himself directly beside her as both the princess and waitress watched, dumbstruck. The fumbling waitress gave him a menu and a glass, told him she'd be back for his order and to rethink sitting somewhere else, and left.

Luna was silent as the stranger sipped from his water and browsed the menu, seemingly unaware of her presence. It was so strange; having gotten looks and negative attention all day, it was borderline unnerving to be ignored. It wasn't unpleasant, but unnerving. Feeling suddenly awkward, Luna cleared her throat.

Beneath the hood, she saw his ears prick up. He shifted, and Luna saw that he must be a pegasus; the bumps on his back were in the shape of folded wings. As he put one hoof on the tabletop, a bit of his cloak shifted to expose dark, dark green fur underneath. He turned his head to face Luna, and what she saw rendered her speechless. His eyes...

They were a glittery green, slitted, and brighter than she had ever seen.

The dark green fur rimmed the vibrance of the eyes, making them stand out even more. Luna felt strangely mesmerized staring at him, and was almost shocked when he spoke to her in his exotic voice.

"I take it you do not mind my presence."

"I, guh... gwah?" was all Luna could say.

He laughed quietly, in an almost growly way. "I said, you don't seem much perturbed by my presence."

Luna was speechless for a moment before straightening and remembering herself. "No, I suppose not," she said before extending a hoof. "Greetings, I am Princess Luna. I sense you are an outsider, as it did not seem you recognized me." When the stranger nodded, she continued. "I am the co-ruler of Equestria, and you happen to have caught me on an off day."

The stranger smiled and saluted. "Pleased to meet you, Your Highness. I am Cyrus. I am a traveler from afar, and have stopped in this place on my journey." He paused. "Perhaps fate would have it that I should meet royalty during my stop, hmm?"

Luna couldn't help but chuckle, but fell again silent as the waitress returned.

"What'll it be, hun?" she asked directly to Cyrus.

"Oh, yes," Cyrus said, again glancing at the menu. "I'll have, ah, the Mu Shu marigolds, and a hay roll." He smiled and nodded towards Luna. "And the lady will have –" He didn't get a chance to finish prompting her, as the waitress had already turned around, and was headed towards the kitchen. Luna growled under her breath, but Cyrus seemed angered by the disrespect and slammed his hoof on the table. She turned and came back.

"Excuse me, is there a problem?" she said.

The hooded stallion huffed. "Yes, quite so. Her highness was about to order, and you need to write it down so you know what to bring her!" His voice never became loud or furious, but his indignance on her behalf was evident. The waitress, however, sighed and rolled her eyes as if he had just asked her to write down his pet rock's order.

"Okay, fine," she said lazily. She turned towards Luna. "What do _you _want?"

Nearly blushing at the male's outburst, and more than a little flattered, Luna replied quietly that she would like the white rice with bean sprouts. When the waitress had gone, Cyrus turned towards her.

"How in the world could you possibly let her get away with that?" He seemed as shocked as she had earlier that afternoon.

Luna sighed. "Cyrus, though they are my subjects too, the ponies of Equestria respect my older sister Princess Celestia far more than myself. They do not see me as a leader, nor as a teacher. But I fear that if I punish them for their insolence, they will only fear me more and I will never be accepted." She swept the room with a gaze; half the ponies still glanced at her nervously from time to time.

When she looked back at Cyrus, his astonishingly piercing eyes had a concerned look to them.

"But why," he queried, "would they fear you? What gives them this lack of respect in the first place?" There was genuine concern in his deep, slow voice. Luna had never said out loud what had happened in the last thousand years – everyone in Equestria already knew the story. This stallion, an outsider, was likely the only creature in the entire nation who did not know the tale of Nightmare Moon.

Before Luna could take a deep breath and muster up the courage to speak, the waitress returned with the plates balanced on her back. "Here..." was all she said before dumping the dishes onto the table in no particular order. As Cyrus sorted out his hay roll and Mu Shu marigold from her rice and bean sprouts, Luna made a mental note to try and avoid bringing it up again.

She then remembered her extreme hunger, and prepared to eat her entire meal in a single gulp while Cyrus was still re-folding his napkin. She leaned towards her plate, but paused and leaned back suspiciously. Cyrus, who had barely begun eating, looked at her.

"Are you not hungry? Is something wrong, Princess?"

Luna siged. "I... I'm not sure. I think one of them may have... spat in my meal." She pushed the plate away, sorely disappointed.

Cyrus raised the wings under his cloak a bit. "Why, those little – !" He shook his head. "Would you like me to confront those rude creatures, Princess?"

Luna shook her head. "As noble as you are, it would do no good. Perhaps my luck in Ponyville has simply run out today." She drooped her head. "I'm so hungry it's making me dizzy..."

The mysterious stallion then did something unexpected – he pushed his plate toward her.

"I couldn't possibly eat all this myself, Princess," he said. "I would be happy to share with you."

He seemed so genuine, Luna was tempted to politely refuse. But one more growl from her stomach and she simply smiled, nodded her thanks, and dug in.

Half an hour later, she exited the restaurant feeling satisfied. The two of them had eaten in silence, there had been a slight argument over payment (Luna had insisted on catching the bill, while Cyrus got the tip), and now she felt a thousand percent better. Directly behind her exited her cloaked companion, whose face was again hidden.

He snorted. "Such a rude bunch. If I were you, I would never put up with it." He stamped the ground. "Why, the only reason I put up with just getting the tip is so that she wouldn't be tipped in the first place."

Luna chuckled. "How nice. Well,my stay in Ponyville is over, and as it is getting late, I must get back to Canterlot."

Just as she was about to spread her wings to fly back to the carriage, she was stopped by Cyrus' hoof on her shoulder.

"Wait a minute, Princess," he said. "You owe me a story so I can rest assured these ponies don't hate you just for nothing." He stepped back and contemplated her. "I want to know what has tarnished your reputation so that your own subjects cannot bring themselves to respect you."

Luna froze and sighed. She had hoped he would not bring this up despite their conversation earlier. She thought of refusing him, but up until now he had been so respectful.

She re-folded her wings. "Fine," she sighed. "Come with me, and I shall tell you me story."

"Over a thousand years ago, my sister Celestia and I ruled Equestria in peace..."


	4. Chapter 4

"Over a thousand years ago, my sister Celestia and I ruled Equestria in peace...

She was my favorite sibling and my best friend. She ruled over the day, and I over the night. Harmony was the rule we lived by, one we honored. Once I the evening I would go out to raise the moon into the sky, and once in the morning Celestia would raise the sun. We were equals, loved and respected by all. We would walk around the palace together, pore through old tomes in the royal library, and fly all over the countryside. Equestria was mostly countryside and forest back then, there were none of the commodities there are here today. Even the royal castle was not as big as it is now. But life was good.

And then... well, one day something changed.

I remember it well. Tia and I were making a royal visit to Olde Fillydelphia, back when it was a port city. We were there to cut the ribbon on a new boat factory; the boat, of course, being a relatively new invention. Anyway, we were surrounded by a crowd of ponies clamoring and smiling at us, and Tia singled out a tiny colt who was standing on the sidelines. Fillies and colts were rarely acknowledged back then, and Celestia had a fondness for children that seemed ahead of her time.

She beckoned him to come closer, and asked him his name. I think he said Walleye or Wallflower or... Steve or something, I cannot remember now, and she asked him if he knew who she was. He said yes, she was the beautiful princess who made the sun come up.

Then she motioned towards me and asked who was I. And... and all I got was a blank stare. She asked him if he knew her sister who raised the moon every night. He shook his head. This little colt didn't know who I was because he had never seen the moon before. He went to bed so early he was asleep before it came out.

That is when it dawned on me: every night I worked hard to raise the moon and dot the sky with thousands upon thousands of beautiful stars, and yet it was all for naught. By the time my work was finished, most of the citizens of Equestria were fast asleep or indoors, with no thought to look outside and admire or acknowledge what I did. Celestia simply brought the sun up – a great globe you couldn't even look directly at – and she was treated like a god. It was in that moment –"

Luna stopped in her tracks and took a deep, shaky breath. This was more difficult than she had anticipated.

"...Go on?" Cyrus ventured, his deep, slow voice almost a whisper.

"It was in that moment that... the seeds of anger and jealousy planted themselves in my heart against my darling sister.

Perhaps it was some malevolent energy, or some evil spirit, or just some part of my soul that was unlocked that day, but I was never able to look at Celestia the same way anymore. It wasn't that I no longer loved her, it was more... that I became angry at her for reasons I knew were obsolete. None of this was her fault and I was perfectly aware of this fact. Nevertheless, I was angry.

I never told her I was upset. I went on in life with my sister, and she didn't ever suspect that whenever she turned her back to me, my smile became a sneer. It was embarrassing, so I told nary a soul. I spent my days pacing back and forth in my chambers, seething with anger and a rising hatred for everything Celestia stood for! I stopped coming outside during the day, lying and saying I felt sick. I would watch the civilians running about and playing under the wretched dun, only to go inside and disregard the night I so carefully pieced together! Life became a nightmarish blur. I began actually feeling sick during the day, just as I had said. When asked to rule, I could not think clearly. The next three weeks I could barely speak, and Celestia took over my royal duties, all save for the rising of the moon and stars. Still, I could not look at or speak to her, knowing that if I did, I would fly into a rage!

My world was a nightmare. A nightmare! The anger built up, and one day, in early dawn... it released and I exploded.

I was to lower the moon as I had every morning for as long as I could remember, so that Tia could raise the sun. But as I stood, ready to do my duty, I found I did not want to. The anger had become hatred, and I stood blankly as Celestia questioned why I was not doing anything. She sounded genuinely concerned as she asked if I was alright, but that only angered me more. I turned to her. I yelled that I didn't want to lower the moon, and that I was just as important as her. I told her that my night was more beautiful than her day could dream of being, and so the night would prevail.

As I spoke, I felt the anger engulf my soul and envelop my body. It was in that moment that I became more than I had been. I became an entity. I became evil. I became...

became...

I became Nightmare Moon."

Luna lowered her head in shame. Cyrus nudged her shoulder with his to comfort her, as well as to push her to finish the story.

"I... I never directly attacked her. That much I can say with pride, I never laid a hoof on my sister. But I cemented the moon in place and pushed the guards away, and flew off. As I departed, I watched the tears roll down Celestia's face. But I felt only triumph. And still I was angry and jealous, and I fully intended to keep my promise that the night would prevail. If I could help it, the citizens of Equestria would never see the sun again.

I flew all over the kingdom, proclaiming the eternal night to every mare and stallion, every town, city, and village I came across. They all feared me. I loved it. After four days of no sunlight, Equestria had been weakened. The crops were dying, and the lack of sun was causing civilians to despair. Celesta caught up to me on the fifth day. She brought no army. She brought no ally. She came armed only with a faded box under one wing. I decided to humor her; I no longer thought of her as a sister and figured she would be easy to kill if things got out of hoof.

She spoke to me about how I was her sister and how I ruled too, and how important I was. But I did not listen; the bitterness in my heart had destroyed Luna. All that was left was Nightmare Moon. I laughed at her as she took out the box. She looked directly at me; there were tears in her eyes as she told me that she did not want to do this, but I left her no choice. Then she opened the box.

All at once I was blinded by a bright light and I realized what had been in the box – the Elements of Harmony, the greatest power in our possession. Tia and I had used it to defeat Discord at the beginning of our reign. And now the light had engulfed me. I felt a searing pain over my entire body, and when the light faded, I found myself in the very place I had controlled for so long.

Celestia had turned me into a spirit and banished me to the moon. My powers had all but been destroyed. I was trapped. You might think it was then that I realized the error of my ways and begged for forgiveness, but I was still filled with the jealousy and anger. I vowed to return on the longest day of the thousandth year with the aide of the stars to enact my revenge.

I spent my time using what little magic I had to carve my likeness on the moon's surface as a reminder to my sister that I would be back. The rest of my imprisonment was spent attempting to draw the stars ever closer to the moon. I knew that their energy would give me the strength to defeat Celestia once and for all. It took a millennium, but on the thousandth anniversary of the first Summer Sun Celebration, I gathered the energy from the stars and flew back to Equestria.

My sister was prepared for me, waiting with an army of Guards, but I was stronger now. I flung the Guards aside and used a dark spell to teleport Celestia to the moon instead of me. Content that the world was now mine, I proclaimed my victory to the Summer Sun patrons. All that was left was to find and destroy the Elements of Harmony once and for all.

As I, in my shadowy disguise, enjoyed the darkness, I overheard a group of six civilians discussing me. One of them, I noted, was a student of Celestia's, Twilight Sparkle. They seemed intent on defeating me, and I overheard her read aloud the location of the elements. I hastened to the area, a ruined castle, but soon found that the six little ponies were already on their way. I tried to stop them – I set a wild manticore on them, tossed them off a cliff, destroyed a bridge, angered a sea serpent, and possessed the trees – but they made it at the same time I did anyway. I managed to destroy the elements, but in a twist of fate the six of them represented the elements. In this way they sent the light towards me. Again was the searing pain, but when it faded, I was still in the ruin. But I had changed. Gone was the hatred and the anger. Gone was Nightmare Moon. I was Luna again, and Celestia was free. In her extreme kindness, she accepted my apology and we embraced. I was a co-ruler again, and everything seemed back to normal. But it is not. Celestia has all but forgotten my moment of weakness. These ponies may never forget."

As Luna ended her story, she and Cyrus came upon the carriage, where the Lunar Guards lay sleeping. They awoke when she approached, and readied for takeoff. Luna turned to Cyrus.

"So that is why I am hated here. I will not be surprised if it changes your opinion of me."

Cyrus said nothing, but gestured to the carriage. Luna nodded when she realized he was asking for a lift to Canterlot with her, and he boarded after her. They rode in silence, Luna glancing at her companion every few moments. The stallion kept his head down, the hood obscuring his entire face. He did not move or speak, and Luna feared she had lost the closest thing to friendship she had found in a year aside from Celestia. The sun had already been lowered, and it appeared that her gracious sister had raised the moon for her. The air was warm, but the breeze as they flew along still had a nip to it, and Luna tightened her jacket around her shoulders.

The carriage landed outside the castle. Luna and Cyrus dismounted, and the Guards left to put it away. Luna was about to nod and leave, when the hooded stallion finally spoke.

"Luna," he said. "Princess Luna, your past means nothing to me and the lack of respect you receive is no better than if you had no blemishes to your name. You are royalty. You are not what you were, you are a beautiful, polite and respectable mare. And may I say, I am honored to have spent my evening with you." He bowed. "But I must bid you farewell, fair Princess. I must leave now." He made as if to place a gentlecoltly kiss on her pastern, but raised his head and instead kissed her cheek. He bowed yet again, and trotted off into the night.

Luna stared, dumbstruck. She had not expected any of that, and suddenly her heart ached to see the stallion go. Mostly, though, she was shocked at the kiss; not only because he had kissed her royal cheek, but because... she wasn't sure, but she could swear she felt his teeth scrape against her cheek.

His very, very, very sharp teeth.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

**And the plot thickens! To be honest, this is something I wanted to write for a while now; an account from the side of Nightmare Moon. I am also planning on writing an account of the Season 2 finale from the POV of Queen Chrysalis. Anyhow, I took a while to write this, mainly because of National Novel Writing Month. I'll try to update more, I will, but between this, NaNoWriMo, and the other fanfics I'm trying to start, it's tough.**

**Note to Shadowofademon88: I like you. It feels like you look through a thesaurus and wear a monocle when you type.**


	5. Chapter 5

Shakily, Luna took a step backwards. She walked backwards slowly, making her way to the castle entrance. She wasn't sure if she was frightened of him now, or if she was waiting – hoping – for him to return. A mixture of fear, apprehension and curiosity prompted her to stand there for four whole minutes, gazing into the darkness before slinking inside.

She contemplated the idea of going straight to bed – she was very tired – but decided against it. Faust knows, she wasn't likely to get much sleep tonight anyway, if at all. She chose to take the East Hall and visit Celestia in her quarters; after reliving her downfall, Luna felt a need to be near her dearest sister, and she wanted to thank her anyway for raising the moon and stars. She trotted up to the extravagant door and nodded to the Guards before knocking.

The door opened, and Celestia poked out her head. She brightened when she saw Luna, and beckoned for her to enter. "Hey, Sis!" she chirped when the door had been closed. "Anything I can help ya with?" Celestia tended to be a lot more loose and unprofessional when no one else was around, to the point of being downright silly.

Luna flapped her wings "I just came by to thank you for raising the moon and stars for me tonight."

"Oh, it was nothing," Tia stretched. "But where were you? I assumed you'd be back by eight at the very latest. You may be Princess of the Night, but I never saw you as a night owl. So what gives?"

Luna went to Celestia's big bay window and gazed out at the city. "Oh, I was just... out and about." She peered into the dark corners and alleyways, looking for a cloaked figure in the shadows. "Just out and about... if you'd like, I can return the favor by helping with the sun tomorrow morning."

The older alicorn shrugged. "If you want to. I didn't mind getting the moon and stars tonight, just try to be back earlier from now on, 'kay? You do have a responsibility to Equestria."

Luna nodded distractedly and murmured that she understood. Celestia nodded and began talking about what one of the guards had told her about something pertaining to the Applewood Film Festival that week. Luna tried to listen, but the shadows moving slowly outside the window shifted her thoughts back to the mysterious Cyrus. She simply nodded along and wondered about him. He was definitely intimidating – perhaps even a little scary now – but she wondered vaguely if they would ever again meet.

"... and the largest of the studios was wondering if I could come and cut the ribbon, but why in the hoof would I want to do that? I'm a princess, not a celebrity..."

Luna nodded and contemplated the kiss. Aside from the freakishly sharp teeth, it had been flattering, and she wondered if it was more than a show of respect.

"... and then I found this show on TV abut six hairless freaks who solve problems with friendship and I was like 'who watches this? They should be banished!'..."

Luna chuckled and wondered the reason for the cloak. Was he hiding some scar, or perhaps he had a terrible cutie mark?Or maybe it was just a fashion statement. Or was he just cold?

"... and apparently the ambassador they sent was their _king_."

Luna perked up after hearing something halfway interesting. "What was that about a king?" she turned and asked.

Celestia snorted. "Weren't you listening?" Luna grinned sheepishly. "Sigh. Well, like I was _saying_, I receive a letter a week ago from the Drakkensteed empire requesting that I speak to them regarding an urgent matter. I replied that they could send an ambassador to Canterlot to represent them, and I received a letter today telling me that their king had insisted on coming _as_ the ambassador. He's supposed to arrive soon; he might actually be a little late."

Luna cocked her head. "Their king is coming? Who is he?" She wasn't exactly all that interested, but something about Celestia's words sparked something in the very back of her mind – like a memory, but not quite.

Celestia looked thoughtful. "Hm... I can't remember exactly. It was a really cool name, I recall. Sire or... or Scizor... or Bob..."

Luna stood quickly. "C... Cyrus, perhaps?" she asked shakily.

Celestia nodded. "Yeah, Cyrus! King Cyrus, um, Razorwing. The king of the Drakkensteed Kingdom. He's supposed to be coming practically in secret. The letter said he'd be alone and wearing a cloak so that he would not be recognized."

Luna slumped onto Celestia's bed. "King... Cyrus... Razorwing," she said to herself. A stranger named Cyrus... wandering alone... wearing a dark cloak...

Cyrus was a king. She never would have known.

"Luna? Moony, you okay?" Celestia said, using her sister's pet name.

Luna shook her head. "Nothing, I just... nothing."

Celestia shot her sister an odd look before continuing with her story. "Anyway, I'm told it's an urgent matter that concerns Equestria. The Drakkensteed Kingdom of Krionn is west of here across the ocean, so I can't say just what it could be. I await the king's arrival, I suppose." She flopped onto the bed next to Luna and stretched, removing her crown and necklace with her magic. The bed was big enough to fit the both of them very comfortably, and Luna barely had to move at all to make room.

"So," Celestia said while making herself comfortable. "You wanna crash here like when we were kids? There's room, this bed is freakin' gargantuan."

Luna perked up. "I'd... I'd like that." She removed her own crown and necklace and made herself comfortable. "Celestia? Tia, what exactly is a Drakkensteed?"

"It's hard to describe," her sister said. "I suppose I would describe it as a mix between a pony and... a dragon."

"A _dragon?_" Luna raised her head, shocked.

Celestia nodded. "Yup. Thy have the face and basic shape of a pony, with split hooves and scales scattered all over their bodies. Their tails are long and have a spike at the end, but they have long hairs. They have smaller manes than we do, and small horns. And their wings are like dragons. I only know from illustrations; I have never seen one before."

"Do they..." Luna gulped. "... have... sharp... teeth?"

"I think so."

"... Oh."

There was a long period of silence between them as the lamplight was extinguished and the two of them got comfortable. Celestia stretched and rolled over a few times before shutting down completely. Luna, unable to drift off nearly as easily as her sleep-through-the-return-of-the-Crystal-Empire sister, lay awake. She contemplated the events of the day, and felt ready for sleep. It would not come.

She sidled up next to her dear sleeping sister and waited for morning to come.

* * *

**AUTHOR NOTE:**

**so HOW GREAT WAS EP 1 & 2!**

**I literally was on the edge of my seat the whole hour. Had ice cream for breakfast ;P  
Short chapter, but what the hoof ever, I got it out today like I wanted!**

**Note to ShiningShadow1965, you were close, and good for you for guessing!  
**

**Now I need more ice cream.**

**I'll start trying to update every Saturday after I watch MLP!**


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